Fairbanks



G. A. HEYER.

WBIGHING SCALE.

No. 534,829. Patented Feb 26, 1895.

WITNESSES: VENTOH Q1 Mm ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES A. HEYER, OF ST. JOHNSBURY, VERMONT, ASSIGNOR TO THE E. & T. FAIRBANKS & COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

WElGHlNG-SCA LE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 534,829, dated February 26, 1895.

Applicatiim 5165 November 13. 1894:- Serial No. 528,671. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern: pression or distention of the flexible part, Be it known that I, CHARLES A. HEYER, cause it to bind upon the support, which the a citizen of the United States, residing at St. ball traverses, the relation of the parts being Johnsbury, in the county of Caledonia, State such that, under a certain degree of tension of Vermont, have invented certain new and between the solid and the flexible parts, they useful Improvements in Weighing-Scales, of will all move together as one mass, the flexiwhich the following isadescription,reference ble part serving to unite them, while the tenbeing had to the accompanying drawings, and sion is not sufiicient to prevent their being to the letters of reference marked thereon. readily moved along the shaft, so that the i0 Myinvention relates to an improvementin ball may be-quickly adjusted to a proper poweighing scales and especially to means for sition to balance the scale; but, when the ball balancing the scale without a load, devices has been moved to its properposition, bringfor this purpose being ordinarily known as ing the parts still closer together, will cause a balance balls. strong binding pressure, thus preventing any 15 Itis customary to provide the shortarm of movement of the ball.

the beams of certain classes of scale with an Secondly, it consists of the two outer parts adjustable ball to properly balance it, but it is movable along a suitable support, and a flexiwell known that considerable inconvenience ble central member also arranged on said sometimes arises from persons thoughtlessly support adapted to unite the two outer memzo rotating the ball or balance, or, it may be, bers and, under pressure, to hold them rigidly 0 some shock will cause it to be accidentally in position on their support. displaced. To overcome this objection, it has Finally, the invention consists in the matheretofore been proposed either to use a fricters hereinafter described and referred to in tion or to provide a set screw, or a check or the appended claims. 25 jam nut for the ball. The friction method is In the accom panying drawings, which Hills open to the objection that, if suificient to se-v (rate the invention, Figure 1 represents my cure the ball against jarring and thoughtless invention as applied to a scale, a suflicient handling, it will be inconveniently hard to portion of the latter being shown to enable work in balancing the scale, while, in the use my invention to be readily understood. Fig. 30 of a set screw or a check or jam nut, addi- 2 is an enlarged view in elevation of my ins tional parts, as well as tools, are required to vention; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view.

enable them to be operated. In the drawings, A represents a portion of The object of my invention is to providea the framework of a scale. simple and effective device whereby the bal- B is the two-part beam, of usual construc- 5 ance ball of a weighing scale may be held in tion, provided with thesliding poises, the any desired-position along its line of travel, beam being pivoted on the standard 0 and with such pressure as to prevent displacement having hung from the knife edge pivotf the under a jar or shock, or under any careless loop g upon which is hung the steelyard rod h. handling of the ball itself. At the same time, My balancing device for the beam comprises 40 however, the device is so constructed that, the lugs d secured on the beam B. These by the exercise of sufficient force, it may be lugs have an opening in which is supported disengaged from one point and secured at at either end the threaded rod or shaft a.

anotherwithout requiring the use of any The balance ball itself is herein shown as tools or appliances external to'the ball itself. composed of the two cylindrical nuts I), b

45 My invention comprises abalance ball conmounted on the threaded shaft a. Each of sisting of three parts, two solid and one fiexithese nuts is provided with an annular reble, in such relation to each other and to cess aadapted to receive adisk c of rubber the support, upon which said parts are aror other flexible material arranged on the rangedfhat achange in the distan e between shaft between the twonuts, which diskc fits 5c the solid parts of the ball will, thrb'ugh comsnugly both recesjes, and if thic'kness is pref- 1o: 1

erably greater than the longitudinal depth of the socket formed by the recesses e when the nuts are placed together.

It will be seen that, as the nuts are screwed together, the bottoms of the recesses will press against the opposing sides of the flexibledisk, which pressure increases the diameter of the disk and causes it to bind against the outer wall of the recess in both nuts, so that they are bound together and may be adjusted as one nut to the desired position on the shaft a. Increased pressure on the faces of the disk will also distend it against the shaft on which it is mounted causing it to grip the same and bind with greater or less force, as the nuts are screwed up or unscrewed, so that when the nuts have been adjusted to the proper pointof balance on the shaft they may be clamped thereon securely against any careless handling.

I have found in practice that good results i may be secured if the central opening in the disk be very large, so that there is no contact of said disk with the shaft, for, even under such circumstances, the pressure between the nuts will cause them to bind to a considerable extent on their threads, so that the ball will be quite firmly clamped in position.

The ball, as a whole, is easily adjusted to any desired position along the shaft and readilyclamped securely. There are no screws to get st,,no wrenches or screw-drivers needed and no liability of the ball getting loose by accident.

It will be understood that, in its broadest sense, I do not desire to be limited to the precise details of construction herein shown, as various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention.

For example, the shaft, upon which the parts are mounted, may be smooth, and the thread to draw the nuts together, be on the nuts themselves. Again, when distended, the flexible portion of the device may be made to bind upon some fixed part external to the ball, instead of upon the shaft upon which the ball moves. Again, the ball might be composed of a greater number of parts from what Ihave herein shown. The flexible part of the device may be replaced at'small expense in event of becoming worn.

It will be understood that my invention, in certain of its features, may be used in other connections than herewith shown and I do not wish, therefore, to limitmyself to its use in combination with a scale, but desire to cover it in its application in any place where a binding device of such a nature is needed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device for balancing scales and the like comprising a plurality of members arranged respectively on the same support, one of said members being flexible and adapted to bed brought under pressure between two other members, whereby it clamps the device upon its support; substantiallyas described. I

2. In combination'with a suitable support,

the two outer parts movable on the same, 7o

and a flexible member encircling the support and arranged between the two outer members adapted, under compression of the two outer 7 members, to unite them so they maybe moved as one and under additional pressure to bind them firmly on the support; substantially as. described.

3. The herein described binding device, comprising a supporting rod or shaft, balls'or nuts movable on said shaft or rod and hav- 8:

ing recesses arranged adjacent to each other, a flexible disk or ring arranged on said shaft between the two nuts or balls and adapted, when the latter are moved into engagement,

to pass into therecesses and-bind againstthe walls thereof; substantially as described.

comprising a supporting rod or shaft,balls or nuts movable on said shaft or rod and having recesses arranged adjacent to each other,

a flexible disk or ring arranged on said shaft between the two nuts or balls and adapted,

when the latter are moved into engagement to pass into the recesses and bind against the" walls thereof, said binding member being of greater thickness than the-socket formed by the recesses of the balls; substantiallyasdcj scribed.

5. In combination with thescalebeamsliavv, ing the lugs d, d secured thereto, thesct'ew loo threaded rod or shaft a, supported by said lugs, the cylindrical balls b, movable ousaid shaft and provided with recesses, e, e,a flexible member 0 located on said shaft between the balls and adapted in the movement of th latter toward each other to be crowded irfto the recesses and bind againstthe walls thereof.

and also against the shaft a; substantiallyas described.

4. The herein. described binding device,

6. A balancing device for scales and thelike I I0 comprising two independent members movable'toward and from each other and arranged on a suitable support, and flexible member arranged between the two, and means for causing the same to bind against the other r x 5 members and against their support; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I atfix my signature I 

